For now, a beach volleyball game requires a trip to the downtown North Shore Park or the Postcard Inn on St. Petersburg Beach. But that will soon change.
Beach volleyball courts are under construction behind the University Student Center.
This isn’t the campus’ first beach volleyball court. Anthony Freese, a 22-year-old senior who has studied at university since 2010, said he remembers when “the USC was a grass lot and there was only a sand volleyball court across from the parking garage.”
A date for the official opening of the area has not been released yet, as campus recreation is still waiting on nets, lights and a door entry system to be delivered. The door entry system will bar public use of the courts, as per campus recreation rules, limiting use only to USF St. Petersburg students. This will ensure the courts are available and kept in pristine condition for the use of USFSP students and campus recreation members, according to Greg Haverlock, fitness and intramural coordinator for campus recreation.
“[The volleyball courts] are a step up in the continuing process of making USFSP even more awesome than it is. Everyone wins,” said sophomore Beenly Khoum.
The unfinished courts are estimated to cost just over $100,000, according to Haverlock.
The decision to add volleyball courts to the campus was made by the USFSP administration # without Activity & Service fee funding from student government # earlier this summer. The courts were paid for by the USFSP Capital Improvement Trust Fund, a committee made up of students, faculty and staff, according to Campus Recreation.
“Sand volleyball is a popular and growing sport,” Haverlock said, “Sand volleyball was previously one of the most attended [intramural] sports at USFSP. We look forward to much more growth in participation in the years to come.”
Volleyballs will be available for students to check out from the desk at the campus recreation gym, located in the Student Life Center. Hours and programs, as a part of the intramural sports program, will be released when construction of the volleyball courts is completed.
Freese is excited that he will no longer have to drive to the Postcard Inn to play volleyball. “Anything that can add to student life and activity on campus is a positive as long as students use it, which I think they will,” Freese said.
